Oscar Wilde once said, "The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about."

The playwright/novelist/poet will be much talked about over the next five weeks during a series of Tuesday classes at The English Rose Tea Room, 1401 Market St.

Janet Hashe, a journalist and teacher, will examine both the artist and the man during the course, titled "Oscar Wilde: Nothing Except My Genius." The title references a quote attributed to Wilde as he went through customs in New York in 1882. He quipped, "I have nothing to declare, except my genius."

Wilde, who died before age 50, is best known for such works as "The Importance of Being Earnest," "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "De Profundis."

Hashe says she has been fascinated with Wilde's "amazing and tragic life" since childhood and has visited many sites in his history, including his birthplace in Dublin, the London house on Tite Street where he wrote some of his most famous works and his gravesite in Paris.

Individual classes are $35; the full course is $150, which includes tea and desserts at each meeting. Enrollment is limited to 15 students.